Michael Pajon
A Whisper, A Handshake, A Drop of Blood, 2013. Mixed media collage on antique photograph, 14 in by 11 in. Courtesy of Jonathan Ferrara Gallery.
Standard American explores the natural intrigue of finding and handling an object to consider its history. This group of work contemplates the most humble of human remains: old matchbooks from junk shops, antique postcards and books, sheet music from my great aunts collection, cracker jack toys that belonged to my mother, and other objects once treasured, lost and resurrected. By collaging these elements amid drawings and other media, I create small relationships to arrive at a whole image. Like delicate strands of DNA, these tiny pieces, in combination hold the key to unique identity. This identity reflects the best and worst of Americans, the common as well as the fantastic. These inevitable contradictions are the foundation on which identity is built. michaelpajon.com
Folkert de Jong The figurative installations devised by de Jong, which are anchored in the (often mysterious) history or meaning of a location, combine an ironic reference to the Old Masters with a large dose of the present. He brings together historic figures or situations with a contemporary visual language or objects. Fiercely beautiful figures have ambiguous relationships with each other and with their environment. The dark side of human nature is the driving force behind this Dutch artist’s work, like his fascination with the opposition between pomp and circumstance on the one hand and the obscene reverse side of the display of power. folkertdejong.org
Old Sport, detail, 2013. Patinated bronze, 180cm by 80 cm by 50 cm. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery New York. Copyright Studio Folkert de Jong, James Cohan Gallery New York and Middelheim Museum Antwerp Belgium.
87